what event finally pushed the untied states into joining world war 1?

Answer 1

the sinking of the lusitania was a near direct catalyst for the USA entering WWI.
On May 7, 1915 the Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine, the U-20. The Lusitania sank after a subsequent massive internal explosion blew out her starboard bow. The sinking galvanized American opinion against Germany's policy of unrestricted submarine warfare and played a role in the United States' later entry into World War I on April 17, 1917.
America’s policy of insisting on neutral rights while also trying to broker a peace resulted in tensions with both Berlin and London. When a German U-boat sank the Lusitania in 1915, a large passenger liner with 128 Americans aboard, Wilson vowed "America was too proud to fight," and demanded an end to attacks on passenger ships. Germany complied. Wilson tried to mediate a compromise settlement; yet no compromise was discovered. Wilson also repeatedly warned that America would not tolerate unrestricted submarine warfare because it violated America's rights. Wilson was under great pressure from former president Teddy Roosevelt, who denounced German "piracy" and Wilson's cowardice. In January 1917 the Germans announced they would resume unrestricted submarine warfare. Berlin's proposal to Mexico to join the war as Germany's ally against the U.S. was exposed in February, angering American opinion.

Answer 2

The sinking of the passenger liner Lusitania was one event that brought us closer to war, but did not really bring us into it.

According to conspriacy theorists, this 'passenger ship' was carrying military cargo destined for Great Britain and France. According to even wilder conspiracy theorists, the entire event was orchestrated by the British Undersecretary of the Navy and the US Deputy Secretary of the Navy, two fellows named Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt. Further conspiracy theory says they did the same thing in 1941 when they opened up Pearl Harbor to attack in order to bring the US into WWII.

128 Americans lost their lived on the Lusitania, some very famous. But Pres Woodrow Wilson did not ask for a declaration of war, but instead sent a strongly-worded protest to Germany. The British called him a coward.

A further event that pushed the US into the war was the Zimmerman Note, an intercepted transmission between Germany and Mexico. It instructed the German Ambassador to Mexico to make a deal with the Mexican government that, should the US enter the war against Germany, that Mexico would attack the US and pin our troops at home. We joined the war about 10 weeks later.

To those who are responding that the Lusitania was the catalyst, note that the Lusitania was sunk over two years before the US entry into the war, while the Zimmerman note immediately preceded it.

Answer 3

It was the sinking of a civilian ocean liner